“Sir Argus is your brother?” was all Lorelei could think to say, momentarily dazed by having three handsome men kiss her hand in greeting. “But, he is not titled, yet you are.” And was that not a foolish thing to worry about now? a little voice in her head groaned in disgust.
“I gained my title from one that has been passed down through the female line ever since my great-grandmother’s time. She gained it through doing a service for King Charles the Second.”
Considering that king’s sordid reputation with women, Lorelei managed to grasp the good sense not to ask what service had been done. As she attempted to collect her thoughts, she urged her guests to sit down and served them some of the tea and small cakes Maxwell had just set out for them. She tried very hard not to be intimidated by the beauty and poise of Argus’s sister, but it was difficult. Lady Olympia Wherlocke, with her thick raven hair, sky blue eyes, and enviously curved figure made Lorelei feel small and thin, as well as young and awkward, despite the fact that Lorelei doubted Lady Olympia was all that much older than she was. It was bad enough that surprise, and nerves, had caused her to ask the woman something so irrelevant as why she was a baroness when Argus was only a knight. Now Lorelei felt witless as well as plain.
“You know what has happened to my brother?” asked Lady Olympia, a shadow of impatience in her voice that Lorelei easily understood, for news of Sir Argus was the whole purpose of this visit.
“Yes, first, please allow me to assure you that he is quite safe,” Lorelei said and could actually see the tension bleed out of her guests, their postures becoming much more relaxed.
“We believed he had been badly injured.”
“Oh, he was. It may be best if I begin from the moment he appeared to me in my father’s rose garden.”
“I beg your pardon? He appeared in your garden?”
It was obvious from the surprised looks upon the faces of his family that Argus had not told them about that particular skill. Lorelei hoped that was because he had not yet perfected it and was loath to do any boasting about it until he had. Whatever his reasons for keeping quiet about it, they did not matter now. His secret was out.
“Sir Argus told me that he has been, well, testing his ability to send his spirit out from his body. He had intended to send it to one of his family when he used it to try and get some help, but he ended up in our rose garden instead. I think the rune stones in the garden may have had something to do with that. There is a circle of them, which my father had made into the rose garden. Although, that must sound very foolish to you.”
“Not at all. It could quite possibly have something to do with the stones,” said Uppington. “There may be no true records of the power of such places, but there are certainly enough tales about them to make one wonder. So, you are saying that you saw an apparition in your garden and acted upon what it said?”
“Instead of running, screaming loudly, back into my house?” Lorelei smiled. “Yes. I did try to convince myself that I had been sitting in the sun for too long or that it was all a dream, but he took my shawl with him when he faded away.” Lorelei inwardly grimaced at what she had just let slip and prayed no one would ask just why Sir Argus had had need of her shawl. “I could not explain that away so I sent word to his family as he had asked me to. Although, only two of you are ones I sent the letters to.”
“Modred sent word to me,” said Lord Leopold, “and Bened was with me at the time. The duke rarely travels, especially to places where he does not know the people.”
“Ah, of course.” Before they could pepper her with more questions, Lorelei gave them the full tale of what had happened from the time she had seen Argus in the garden until their arrival at Sundunmoor. As always she left out all mention of nakedness and kisses.
“What I do not understand is how this Cornick fool could even think that he could just take Argus’s gift,” said Lady Olympia.
“The man obviously believes it is something that can be given away, stolen, or taught,” said Lorelei.
“Madness.”
“Sir Argus rather thinks so. But that does not stop the man from being a danger to Sir Argus. Still, it might be best if you discuss all that with him.”
Within moments, Lorelei found herself escorting Argus’s family to the gatehouse. She had thought to introduce them to her father, but he and the youngest boys had not returned from their foray to the pond. A coldness was settling deep into her soul as she realized that these people could be here to take Sir Argus away. Every instinct she had told her that, if Argus left Sundunmoor, she would never see him again. Lorelei was just not sure if there was any way she could prevent that. These four people were his family and this problem was a family one, while she was simply the woman who had pulled him out of his prison and nursed his wounds.
When they stepped into the bedchamber, they found Argus struggling to tug on his boots, wincing all the while. The way his relatives hurried to his side made Lorelei suddenly feel like the odd man out. She told herself it was foolish, but the longer they all talked amongst themselves, the more de trop she began to feel. Finally she decided it might be best if she just quietly slipped away and waited at home to hear what would happen next. She was just stepping out the door when a hand clasped her by the wrist and she looked to find Lady Olympia at her side.
“Where are you going?” asked Lady Olympia.
“I thought I should leave you alone so that you could make your plans,” Lorelei replied, but she did not stop the woman from dragging her over to where the men were talking. “You know best what you are capable of and what resources you can bring to this battle.”
“You and this place are an intricate part of all the planning that must be done. Is this place not close to where he was held prisoner?”
That remark implied that at least Lady Olympia thought Argus should stay where he was, but Lorelei smothered the sudden hope that rose within her. “About a half day’s ride if one does not have to go very slowly.”
“Then this is the area where his enemies will be. They are surely searching for him all around here and Dunn Manor. Well, if they realize that Dunn Manor is where he had to have been taken at least at the start. Once they figure that out, the connection to you, to the Sunduns can easily be made.”
“It is possible, although we have had no word of anyone looking for him.”
Lady Olympia stared at one of the windows, but a quick glance at her face was enough to tell Lorelei that the woman was not admiring the view. There was a faraway look in those lovely eyes she suspected men had written odes to. She wondered what gift Lady Olympia could lay claim to.
“You will,” Lady Olympia said in a voice very close to a whisper. “Soon.” She frowned and then nodded as if confirming her own words.
“How could that be?” Lorelei asked. “There can be no connection between me and Sir Argus. Our families have never even met. So this Cornick thinks Sir Argus was taken to Dunn Manor. It matters not for no one but me, my maid, and my cousins knew he was there and we moved him as quickly as possible.”
“You were seen,” Lady Olympia said, giving Lorelei a look that dared her to deny it.
“What?” Argus turned away from his cousins to stare at Olympia and Lorelei, revealing that he had been listening closely to what she and his sister had been talking about. “You did not tell me about that, Lady Lorelei. When were you seen? By whom?”
It was not something she had ever intended to tell him, and Lorelei cast Lady Olympia a cross look only to earn a sweet smile from the woman. “It was when we were getting you away from that place. When the men rode up just as we reached the top of the hill, I think one of them caught a very brief glimpse of me. May have even seen me in the moonlight for the space of a heartbeat. But, we were not chased, were we? There was no outcry. I quickly hid in the shadows and I was in disguise. I do not see how the man could ever guess it was me and come here because of that.”
“No, but he might get to your cousins.”
“He
did not see them. They had already gotten you to the horses that were tethered deep in the shadows of the trees. Also, it has been a week and there has been no word from the Dunns that there has been any search for you or any trouble for them.”
Sir Argus said no more, but he did not look convinced by her assurances. In fact, he looked sorely tempted to do a great deal more arguing, perhaps even give her a few orders. Lorelei decided to be the coward and slip away for a little while until he could be well distracted.
“I will just go and see what Max may have left in the kitchens. Perhaps you would like to go down to the front parlor? There will be more comfortable seating there,” she said even as she hurried out of the room.
Down in the kitchens Lorelei found a very impressive array of cakes, bread, and cheese, and a few bottles of fine wine. She busied herself making up a tray for Sir Argus and his family, and listening to them all come down the stairs. His obvious concern over the chance that she had been seen touched her, but she forced herself not to read too much into it. As a gentleman she had given aid and succor to, it was only natural that he would believe he needed to keep her safe. All she could hope for was that he did not speak of the possibility to her father or Max, or she could find herself burdened with a constant guard.
That would certainly put an end to her plots to make Sir Argus see that they were perfect for each other, she thought with a sigh. It was going to be a monumental task as it was. She did not need a constant shadow interrupting what little time alone she might steal with the man. That was, she mused, if he even stayed at Sundunmoor now. Somehow, when she joined them all in the parlor, she would have to have some good reason for them to agree to keep Sir Argus here. She had to have her chance to make him see that they were perfect for each other.
“Interesting situation you have tangled yourself up in, dearest brother,” said Olympia as she sat next to Argus on the plush dark blue settee.
“I keep thinking over how I ended up trapped by that fool and can see nowhere I actually went wrong,” said Argus. “I gathered information on him before I met with him and there was no hint that he would do something like this. Perhaps it was just the lure of a possible profitable investment that made me careless.”
“Nonsense. Not only is it difficult to find out everything about a person, especially if they are careful to keep their sins well hidden, but we have had no hint of any trouble headed our way. No attempts have been made to take any of our family before this.”
“Are you certain?”
“As certain as I can be. Our seers gave no warning and no one has reported any attempts to drag them off the streets.”
“It is troubling that there appears to be one or more people so interested in us and what we do, however,” said Leo. “We shall all have to be careful until we know exactly who is behind this.”
“Aye,” agreed Iago. “A warning should be sent out.”
“We shall do so as soon as we know where we will be settled as we sort Argus’s trouble out.” Leo looked at his cousin. “You believe the man will try to hunt you down?”
“Yes,” replied Argus. “He will have to if only to protect himself. I know who he is and what he did is a hanging offense. The we he spoke of may also insist that he silence me.”
“Unless they have already silenced him.”
“A possibility, but I cannot feel that this will all be settled so easily.”
“You were very fortunate to be rescued.”
“I know. After a fortnight in the man’s hands, I feared that I would die there because there was no way to reach any of you. Lady Lorelei and her cousins, mere boys, came right after I had suffered the worst beating yet and I knew I would not survive much more of such treatment. He also kept me half starved and gave me little water. Nor did he treat the wounds I suffered.” He smiled when his sister grasped his hand and held it tightly for a moment, the only sign that she had been upset by his tale of the abuse he had endured.
“What I do not understand is how he discovered what you can do,” said Olympia.
“I have given that some thought myself,” said Argus. “It may be that someone in the government, one who somehow learned of what I have done for them, decided he needed my skills for something the government would not approve of.”
“I can have that looked into,” said Leo.
“It might be best.”
Lorelei entered with a large tray weighted down with food and bottles of wine. Before Argus could move, Leopold was at her side to help her. He discovered that he did not like to see her and his cousin exchanging smiles. That had the sour taste of jealousy, which astonished him. It had been a very long time since he had cared whom a woman smiled at.
It was silent for a moment aside from murmurs of thanks and requests for a choice of the offerings as Lorelei, with Olympia’s help, served the food and wine. Argus suddenly realized that this woman, this daughter of a duke, had gone into the kitchens and set up a tray for her guests, with her own hands. Then he recalled that her own father had commanded her to do the same last evening. The Sunduns were evidently not very high in the instep.
He quickly shook aside his pleasure at that thought. It had him thinking foolish things, such as a woman like her would not look down on a mere knight. Argus decided it might be time for him to take a few hours and vividly recall all the shattered marriages littering his family tree. That would be certain to cure him of this strange need he had to see her as a woman he could have for his own. It was a thought that had sneaked up on him when he was not looking, and he intended to send it crawling back into the dark hole it had come out of.
Out of the corner of his eye he caught his sister studying him and Lorelei and felt a chill go down his spine. Olympia had long insisted that he needed to marry despite the fact that she was six and twenty and still unwed. He suspected she thought a wife would stop him from doing things for the government, things that put him deep in danger and secrets. When he got the chance he would have to have a long talk with his sister. He would not have her trying her hand at matchmaking.
“Have you come up with a plan?” asked Lorelei as she sat on a little chair angled so that she could see all of them.
“If it is acceptable, I think we should stay here,” said Olympia.
“Although her father has already offered that, if in an indirect way, I am not sure that is a good idea,” said Argus.
Lorelei refused to be hurt by his reluctance to stay near her. She preferred to think that he was simply acting like all bachelors and trying to stay free of the marital net he could feel slipping over him. A little voice in her head whispered that she was indulging in wishful thinking, but she shushed it. She had never had a man look at her as Argus did, or kiss her as he did. It had to mean something.
“Heed me, Argus,” Olympia said. “You are not yet healed enough to travel far. If we attempt to take you somewhere else it will sap what strength you have regained. Do not think I do not know that your ribs are bound up tight, for you still wince faintly when you move a certain way. There is also the fact that your enemy is probably in the area searching for you to consider.”
“And so we should lead him away from the Sun-duns.”
“An admirable sentiment, but impractical.”
“I fear she is right, Argus,” said Lord Sir Leopold. “This is where it happened, or near here. It is not a place someone brings a prisoner unless there is some important connection. London certainly has many a hiding place no one would ever find. And in London it is very easy to move a person from one place to another and never be seen. Yet, despite all those advantages, your captor brought you here. Here is where we must at least begin our investigation.”
“There is plenty of room here in the gatehouse,” said Lorelei. “Max can have the other rooms aired and readied in no time. And Father will readily allow you to make use of some of our men if the need arises.”
“So he said,” said Argus, knowing that Leo’s words had sealed his fate. He wondered w
hy a part of him was so relieved that he was not leaving Sundunmoor just yet.
“Then we shall speak to the duke as soon as possible,” said Olympia. “He does know all about this, does he not?”
“He does. Only recently, but it was a hard secret to keep for long.” He frowned. “In truth, the duke also knows a great deal about our family. It seems there are many who have recorded every tale and rumor about us, and he has studied them. The man is fascinated by what we can do.”
Lorelei saw how all Argus’s family glanced her way and she smiled. “Truly, the knowledge is safe with him. When you meet him, you will see that. As I explained to Sir Argus, what fascinates my father is the gift itself, not the one who has it. And, he fully understands the need to protect one’s family.”
“I trust him with the knowledge,” said Argus, and hoped none of his too-perceptive relatives could tell how his heart actually skipped when Lorelei smiled at him.
Argus was almost embarrassed to admit, even to himself, that his heart had skipped. Or that he had been strongly tempted to smile right back at her. Worse, he had the terrifying feeling that there would have been a touch of besottedness in that smile. Lady Lorelei Sundun was having a very strange effect upon him. He was going to have to work harder at pushing her away, especially as it appeared that he would not be leaving Sundunmoor any time soon. He also had the feeling that trying to use his family as a wall to put her behind was not going to work.
Lord Leopold helped himself to some more wine. “I fear our life of secrecy may slowly be coming to an end.”
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